He Calls Me Beautiful
by een nihc
Summary: It all started when he called her beautiful. But it was a long way to love. [Ino x Sai]


Summary: It all started when he called her beautiful. But it was a long way to love.

* * *

**He Calls Me Beautiful**

* * *

The first time Sai called her beautiful, Ino was flattered.

She even gloated about it for a while especially when she heard him called Sakura hag. She was beautiful and she knew it. But he was the first guy who called her beautiful openly. And he said it with such a straight face too which made her blushed a little.

When Sakura told her that Sai is human skin robot with zero emotion and completely clueless when it comes to human interaction, Ino didn't believe her at first. But she knew the forehead girl well enough to know that she wasn't lying. It puzzled her. Why would he call her beautiful? Did he really mean it? She never got to find out until one day they finally crossed path again.

* * *

The second time Sai called her beautiful, Ino was pissed.

"Hey, why did you call me beautiful?" she asked curiously.

And he merely smiled that fake smile of his and answered, "Because you seemed to be pleased to hear that."

Indeed, she was pleased to hear his answer but she wasn't completely satisfied. So she decided to probe further.

"So do you really mean it?"

Only she wished she hadn't.

"No, I meant the opposite."

Just like that, it completely threw her off cloud nine and landed her on the ground, hard.

Ino was pissed, alright. And Sai had it coming when she gave him a right mean hook that rivaled her best friend, Sakura.

"Don't say it unless you mean it! Damn it! My name is Yamanaka Ino and I AM BEAUTIFUL! Get it through that thick skull of yours!"

Sai rubbed his bruised cheek and made a mental note not to repeat the same mistake.

* * *

The next time they met again, he stopped calling her beautiful and she stopped caring.

They were in the battlefield of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, amidst death and destruction. The war was over yet the victory felt somewhat hollow to Ino because she had just lost her father in the war. Even as she was trapped inside the cocoon, dreaming a dream that was too good to be true, deep down she knew it wasn't real. Her father was dead, Sasuke never bat an eyelid at her and Sai never meant it when he called her beautiful.

So when Sai called out to her, Ino didn't bother to stop.

"Yamanaka-san, for what it's worth, your father is proud of you." For once, he was serious and he addressed her name formally. His rueful eyes told her that he knew what it was like to lose a loved one.

"I know." She nodded and said quietly.

And Ino thought, maybe, just maybe, he wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Their first date wasn't a real date.

Sakura decided to play matchmaking and she wouldn't take no for an answer. They only agreed to go on a date halfheartedly to humour their friend. They watched a romantic comedy which was predictable and boring in the local cinema. Ino had to nudge Sai awake when the movie was over.

"You shouldn't fall asleep on your first date. That's being rude." She poked his chest with her perfectly manicured finger although there was no real anger in her reprimand.

"Sakura gave us the movie tickets. Blame her."

Ino sighed. "What now?"

"Now we can both go home." Sai said in a dead pan manner.

Ino shot him a glare and knocked his forehead with her knuckle for good measure.

"Smart ass. I'm hungry. Let's go for dinner." She decided, leaving no room for discussion.

"Great, why bother asking in the first place?" The remark earned another glare from Ino. Knowing that her temper was as volatile as his former teammate, Sakura, Sai knew better than to provoke her further.

"Fine. Let's go."

The dinner with Sai wasn't half bad in Ino's opinion. At least Sai didn't fall asleep this time. And he could be funny in his own weird way.

Sai had improved tremendously on his human interaction skills over the years through observing people, asking inappropriate questions and reading questionable books. In fact it was commendable that he actually took the effort to learn to be normal. That being said, he still has a lot to learn, especially when it comes to women.

"Why are there so many rules in dating? Who set the rules, anyway?"

Ino rolled her eyes.

_For real? Definitely a long way to go._

"No one set the rules, okay? Everyone understands the rules, except you."

The pale face boy didn't seem convinced.

"One day, when you find the right girl to love, I'll teach you everything about dating because you're completely hopeless. Be grateful that you'll have me as your teacher."

"Thanks." Sai smiled a genuine smile.

* * *

Sai was concentrating on painting his master piece. His concentration was broken off abruptly when Ino suddenly peered over his shoulder and asked cheerfully, "Hey, what are you drawing?"

Startled, the brush in his hand veered to the side and he wasn't pleased that it messed up his painting.

"Look what you've done! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." He chided coldly.

"Geez, it's just a drawing." There was a hint of uneasiness to her voice as she stepped away from the boy.

"You never say sorry, do you?"

The gifted painter didn't even bother to look up from his painting. He was too busy correcting his mistake on the canvas.

"Fine, I'm sorry. There, satisfied?" Ino retorted as she became defensive.

No one had ever spoken so harshly to her before.

"Someone once taught me that you shouldn't say things unless you mean it." Sai said without batting an eyelash.

It was a slap to her face. Feeling both mortified and shocked, the pale blonde haired kunoichi was momentarily lost for words. What she wanted to tell him earlier when she looked for him died in her throat. She stood there dumbfounded for the longest time before she turned and ran away.

Tears started to flow down her cheeks before she realized it as she ran. It had been a long time since she last cried. She couldn't stop crying even as she reached home.

The truth was Ino was informed that she had passed her jounin exam that day and the first person that she wanted to share the good news was Sai. Not her mother, not Sakura, not Shikamaru or Chouji. Because Sai had helped her trained for the exam.

But it wasn't just because of that. It was something more intimate, something that she was neither willing nor prepared to confront yet.

That was also the day Ino realized her feeling for the pale face boy was actually more than platonic.

* * *

After that day, Ino had avoided Sai like plague. Sakura was the first to notice her best friend's uneasiness whenever she mentioned Sai in their conversation.

"What's with you, Ino pig? You seemed agitated whenever I mention Sai. Did something happen between you and him?" Sakura eyed Ino suspiciously.

"No, nothing you should worry about." Ino deliberately lied and sipped her tea.

Sakura suddenly waved to someone behind Ino.

"Hi, Sai!"

Ino inhaled sharply. She almost choked on her drink. She didn't dare to turn her head and find out.

"Gotcha! You seriously think you can lie to my face like that and I won't know that you're lying?"

Ino was utterly defeated. Twelve years of friendship wasn't for nothing.

"Spill now. Don't make me make you." The pink haired kunoichi demanded. Unfortunately for Ino, her best friend could be damn persistent when she wanted to. Her love for the last Uchiha was a testament to that.

"Alright, but you have to swear not to tell a soul about it."

"Aw, I'm hurt. Don't you trust me?"

"Not unless you swear it." Ino replied blatantly.

"Okay, fine. I swear not to tell a soul about it."

Ino made a hand seal and began to communicate telepathically with her best friend. This way, she could prevent anyone from eavesdrop their conversation.

Sakura waited patiently until her friend finished her story. But she couldn't help but ask, "You mean you haven't spoken to him since that day?"

Ino admitted in defeat, "I don't know how to face him again."

Sakura frowned.

"Are you an imposter or something? The Ino that I knew will never be so timid and unsure of herself."

"No, I am not!" the lioness in Ino finally roared when provoked.

This time, Sakura smirked.

"Good. Then do something about it. Anything but mopping around."

Sakura's words rekindle her fighting spirit. Although she was infatuated with Sai, there was no way she would make it easy for him. She would make him fall for her, head over heels. And he wouldn't know what hit him until it was too late.

"You're right. Thanks, forehead girl. Now you would have to excuse me."

"Anytime. Good luck!"

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Ino found Sai in his favorite art shop, replenishing his ink supply. She remembered that he said that the ink he bought here works best for his Super Beast Imitation Drawing techniques.

"Hi." She greeted him casually although her heart was thumping wildly inside.

He turned and looked at her.

"Hi." He greeted her back with a small smile.

The pale blonde hair kunoichi took a deep breath before asking, "Can we talk somewhere private?"

Sai felt a little suspicious by her suggestion. It jarred a warning in his head. He read from a book before: when a female requests to 'talk' with a male, it means that she expect the male to listen while she does most of the talking and it usually isn't on a pleasant topic.

He tilted his head to the side and considered it for a moment. Then he noticed how her hand was fidgeting on her skirt as if she was nervous. Despite his better judgment, he agreed.

"Sure."

They headed to an empty training ground and Ino was uncharacteristically quiet during the journey. The silence felt awkward, even to Sai. He had a sinking feeling that whatever it was that she wanted to talk about was important and serious.

Finally, they reached their destination. No one else was around saved for the two of them.

Ino was the one who broke the silence first.

"I'm sorry that I ruined your painting the other day."

The belated apology surprised Sai. He certainly didn't expect her to apologize since he almost forgot about the incident. Moreover, this time, she actually sounded sincere in her apology.

"It's okay. I barely remember it."

To his confusion, Ino didn't seem consoled by it. It took her a while before she could meet him in the eye and asked, "What do you think of me?"

Sai didn't know what to think or how to response to her question. He had never thought about the subject before. He pondered on the question for a while before he replied hesitantly, "I guess I consider you as my friend."

A second later, Sai immediately sensed that his answer had somehow upset Ino. She looked away as soon as she heard his answer. Although her face was momentarily obscured by her long, side parted bangs, he could see that she was clenching her fists tightly at her side.

The dark haired boy honestly had no clue as to why the blonde kunoichi seemed so upset by his answer. He was positive that he didn't insult her in any way. And he certainly wasn't the best person to console a clearly upset girl, especially since that girl was Ino.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Sai offered gingerly.

To his horror, it only seemed to make matter worse as he could see that she began to tremble visibly. As if she was crying. She was crying, alright, if the sobbing sound was any indication.

_Oh, shit._ He thought. _How did it end up like this?_

Just then, Ino suddenly turned around and faced him.

"You jerk!" she cried. "A friend, you say? Do you have any idea how many guys are dying to be my _friend_? You ungrateful bastard!"

Sai had learned his lesson that it was best to keep his mouth shut and just let the blonde kunoichi vent out all her frustration. But before he could redeem himself, she was already gone like a hurricane, leaving him alone at the training ground, confounded.

* * *

After that incident, Ino didn't avoid contact with Sai. Instead, she merely treated him as if he was invisible to her like thin air. And this disturbed the pale face boy more than he would ever admit. In addition to that, Sakura's attitude towards him wasn't any better.

"Seriously, what did I do?" Sai asked one of his former teammates - the one whom he nicknamed dickless.

"Beats me too. Girls are weird." Naruto lowered his voice as if afraid that someone might hear him say that, especially if that someone is Sakura. "Except Hinata-chan." the blond jinchuriki later added giddily.

It was no secret that Naruto was dating with the Hyuuga heir after the war.

Decided that his love struck friend could offer no useful advice to him, Sai promptly left. There was no one else he could depend on except himself. He took out a scroll from his pouch and began to draw on it with his chakra infused ink. Some ink mice sprung to life from his scroll and scattered to scout for his target. He waited patiently until one of them spotted his target. He then ordered it to hide its presence, eavesdrop and relay back the messages.

Meanwhile, the said target was arranging flowers in her family owned flower shop. A Leaf ninja entered the shop. He was probably older than her a year or two. It was a face that she wasn't familiar with.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop! How can I help you?" she greeted her customer cheerfully.

"Ah, I would like to buy some flowers."

"For a girl, I presume?" she asked knowingly.

"Yes." The guy smirked. "What is your personal favorite?"

"Me? I would recommend roses. But if you think it's too conventional, you can go with lilies or even sunflowers."

"Really? Are you a conventional girl?"

_Is he hitting on me?_

"Pardon?" she pretended she didn't hear him.

"I asked if you are a conventional girl." the stranger leaned forward boldly and she was acutely aware how close they stood.

"None of your business." She chose to walk away and put some distance between them.

The stranger chuckled as if he was amused.

"Just as spirited as I imagined. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Takuma. Will you consider going on a date with me, Yamanaka Ino?"

The flowers in Ino's hand dropped. So was her jaw.

* * *

Sai scowled as he listened to his ink mice recounting everything that it had seen or heard in Yamanaka Flower Shop.

_A guy asking Ino for a date? And she's considering about it? Who is this Takuma guy anyway?_

It wasn't too hard for Sai to find out this mysterious guy's background. He's an orphan, currently a chunin, about to be promoted to jounin. No ninja clan or bloodline limit. Just an ordinary Leaf ninja. Yet Sai couldn't find it in his heart to like Takuma.

_This Takuma guy simply doesn't fit into the same picture with Ino_, the artistic side of him argued.

It was a foreign feeling for him to feel sour over something that he had no business in.

Later, he would found the word that best describes this particular feeling.

Jealousy.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino was a confident girl. But her self-confidence had taken a dive since her last encounter with Sai. So when Takuma showed up from nowhere and asked her out for a date blatantly, it threw her off balance completely and rendered her in a dilemma.

Truth to be told, although Takuma wasn't as good looking as Sai, he wasn't half bad looking either. He was tall, tanned and muscular. His hair was a darker shade of blond than Ino. What caught her attention most was the silver studs he wore on both of his ears which reminded her very much of her own. In short, he looked completely opposite from Sai.

_It isn't necessary a bad thing, right? After all, that pale face jerk just thought of me as a friend._

She thought angrily.

_It's decided then. I'll go on a date with Takuma._

* * *

Ino still hadn't decided what to wear yet when Takuma showed up on her doorstep punctually.

"Ino, Takuma-kun is here!" her mother announced. The older woman was thrilled that her precious daughter finally dated someone.

"Coming!" she yelled back.

"It's alright. Take all the time you need!" Takuma said in good spirit.

She still couldn't decide between the red and black dresses that were lying on her bed. In the end, she went for the black one, which is a safe color for first date.

Takuma greeted her as she walked down the staircase, grinning like he had won lottery.

"You look exceptionally beautiful tonight," he complimented her unabashedly.

Ino managed to smile back although her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Thank you."

If she had met Takuma first, maybe she would fall in love with him, instead of falling for that weird, pale boy. Despite being too smooth and greasy to her liking, at least Takuma meant it when he told her that she looked beautiful.

She might as well try to enjoy the date.

Takuma brought her to the fanciest restaurant available in Konoha village. It was her first time entering the restaurant and she felt somewhat privileged when someone held the door open and pulled her seat for her.

He said all the right things, did every right moves of what could be described as a perfect date. Yet Ino didn't feel too thrilled about it. And she knew exactly why - he wasn't the right guy. By the time he walked her home, she realized that her first date with Takuma would also be her last.

Maybe Takuma realized it too.

But it didn't stop him from trying to kiss her on her doorstep. Tried but failed. Not before Ino scratched his face with her keys first.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? Crazy bitch!" Takuma recoiled and cursed.

"Who are you calling a crazy bitch?"

Someone emerged from the shadow. Pale skin and black hair. Voice low and dangerous.

"Who the hell are you? Get lost!" Takuma yelled, one hand still clutching his bleeding cheek.

Big mistake.

Ino watched in horror as an ink tiger pounced upon Takuma mercilessly. She shouted, "Stop!" just in time before the ink tiger devoured his victim. The creature halted momentarily in response to his master's command.

"What are you doing here?"

Her blue eyes narrowed furiously.

"Watching out for you. I don't trust this guy one bit and I was right." Sai replied impassively as if it explained everything and completely justified his action.

"You! Who do you think you are? You have no right! I don't need anyone watching out for me, certainly not you!"

"Get this thing off me! Damn it!" Takuma interjected. It seemed like he was completely forgotten.

"SHUT UP!" Both Ino and Sai shouted in union. The ink tiger promptly knocked the blond ninja unconscious.

For the longest time, neither of them spoke except glaring at each other. The tension was thick in the atmosphere until Sai took out a picture book and handed it to Ino wordlessly. Then he was gone, disappearing into the night as if he was never there in the first place.

Ino stared at the picture book in her hand. Then she flipped to the first page under the dim street light. It was a portrait of her. She was smiling in it. Her heartbeat increased rapidly as she flipped through the pages one by one. The first half of the book was all her portraits with various expressions and settings. Her smiling, frowning, laughing, crying…

Tears began to blur her vision as she reached the middle pages – Sai had drawn her on the left page while a figure resembling himself was drawn on the right.

They were holding hands.

* * *

No one ever taught or showed him how to love. The closest thing he had was the bond with his dead brother, Shin. And no one was able to tell him how it was like to fall in love. Different people offer different opinions. It was all very foreign and confusing to him.

The only way he could express himself was through drawings.

So he created that picture book.

* * *

Years later, that picture book was still being kept meticulously by Ino. Since then, the picture book collection had grown with each passing year. But it was the first book that would always remained her favourite.

Ino had just given birth to a baby boy, their baby boy. She was exhausted beyond words. But it was nothing compared to the pride and joy that filled her heart at the moment.

Meanwhile, her husband, Sai watched their newborn baby with astonished eyes and gasped in awe, "Beautiful."

Ino had never felt happier.

END

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading. I feel so proud that I finished this story. I didn't imagine them to be immediately falling madly in love with each other. It will be something that develops over time. Takuma is just an OC I created to get the story moving. I don't like him very much myself (laugh). Tell me what you think and leave a review if you can. Thanks again.


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